


dilated eyes and the blue sunrise.

by wickedbad



Series: and the stars will be your eyes. [2]
Category: Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2
Genre: Ambiguous timeframe within game but it also doesn't really matter I guess, Arthur's kinda a sloppy drunk, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, No Spoilers, Soft cowboys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 16:09:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16875996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad
Summary: When Charles wandered across the Van der Linde gang all those months ago, he never thought it would come to something like this. He had learned long ago to appreciate the little things in life, because nothing was promised to any of them, and he fully intended to enjoy every moment he had with Arthur, however long it was destined to last.[Arthur is drunk and tells Charles he loves him for the first time.]





	dilated eyes and the blue sunrise.

“Come on, you drunk fool,” Charles guided Arthur away from camp, a sturdy hand poised on his waist. They stumbled down the dirt path that led out of camp, taking them further away from the laughter and other joyous noises that filled the night. As they trekked on, they blended into the trees, disappearing into the dark as they gently rocked back-and-forth with Arthur’s drunken movements. Dawn was creeping on them, eager to turn the stillness of the night into the liveliness of morning.

Charles kept a tight grip on Arthur’s body, navigating him away from a few stray rocks along the pathway. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as Arthur swayed lopsided while he stumbled about beside him. “Watch your step,” He cautioned, shepherding him closer to the middle of the path, kicking the rocks out of the way.

It had been a night for drinking, that much was certain. A successful score, regardless of amount, was enough to lift anyone’s spirits these days. The whiskey crates around camp were almost empty - everyone’s bellies were warm and full basking in the euphoria of hard work paid off. When they’d left camp, most everyone had gathered around, singing and laughing around the campfire, enjoying each other’s company for the first time in a while. Charles had been enjoying himself, too, listening to lighthearted, drunken stories from anyone who could captivate an audience long enough.

He had been keeping an eye on Arthur, who was in a few drinks over his head, sloshing about camp in the most liquored up state he’d seen him in a while - though, he reckoned Arthur deserved the break from worrying about everything that seemed to be going wrong. Though, as the night carried on, he figured it was best if he got Arthur out of camp, stopping him from making a fool of himself. In his drunken state, he was getting a bit too clingy to pass as anything other than friendly; when Arthur started grabbing at his hands trying to pull him in for a sloppy kiss, Charles decided they needed to get away from camp and leave the celebrating to those who could handle their liquor better. Eyes had already been on Arthur, anyway, as he’d fallen into the pattern of antagonizing anyone who crossed him; he and Micah had already had it out once, and Charles wasn’t eager to spend any more time with that man that he needed. Though, he couldn’t hide his laughter when Arthur called him a slew of names and other drunken insults; it would’ve been a lie to say Arthur wasn’t an entertaining drunk.

By now, they were far enough away from camp so that no one could listen in on their conversations, but too close to get as comfortable as they may have wanted. It was seldom they had the chance to spend any time alone together, and it was a damn shame they couldn’t use this time stealing drunken kisses and touches without a care in the world.

Charles found a large boulder not too far outside of camp, and he propped Arthur against its side, guiding his body so the back of his head didn't collide with the rock. Once he was sure Arthur was situated and not going to topple over, he stood in place, staring back at camp as he listened to the soft murmur of voices he could faintly make out in the distance. On the ground, Arthur pressed his back against the rock, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he lazily let his eyes follow Charles, who was looming overhead with his hands poised on his hips. With a lethargic hand, Arthur patted the spot on the ground beside him.

“W-why don’t cha sit, Charles.”

Charles rolled his eyes but obliged, taking comfort on the soft earth beside Arthur. He made sure to keep his body close enough so that he could enjoy the warmth of Arthur’s body, but far enough away not to raise any suspicion if someone from camp had wandered over. In his peripheral, he noticed Arthur had managed to snatch another bottle of whiskey before Charles had dragged him out of camp, and he chuckled as he watched him struggle to open the top. “Don’t think you’ve had enough?”

Arthur brought the bottle to his mouth, tilting his head back as he took a large swig. The liquor spilled from his lips, trailing down his chin, to which he wiped it off with the back of his hand. “Ain’t ever heard ‘a too much whiskey, Charles,” He slurred, the moonlight twinkling in his eyes as he laughed to himself. “‘Sides, night’s for celebratin’. Been through enough - think we deserve it.”

“I reckon you’re right about that,” Charles extended his grasp, gesturing toward the liquor bottle in Arthur’s hand. “Mind sharin’?”

Arthur obliged, handing the drink over to Charles, nodding his head as he watched him finish the rest of it. With a slight grimace, Charles cleared his throat, setting the empty bottle down next to him; he had quickly learned that some of the strongest whiskey one could find would be at camp. Beside him, Arthur kept his eyes locked on Charles, utterly captivated by him in his drunken state. He hurried onto his knees, leaning into Charles to kiss him, pecking at the corner of his mouth a few times.

Charles turned his head to welcome the kisses, sighing at the feeling of Arthur’s fingers working their way to the back of his head, grabbing a fistful of long hair. He let his hand hover beside Arthur’s cheek, the prickled hairs of his beard tickling against his palm. Charles figured he could sit like this forever; kissing and touching Arthur was a luxury he could rarely afford. Each night spent beneath the moonlight with Arthur he savored, holding onto the memory for as long as he could.

Eventually, he pulled away chuckling, gently pushing Arthur back. He glanced over his shoulder back at camp, eyes focusing on the quivering campfire and the faded sounds of laughter and singing. “Gotta be careful, we ain’t that far away.”

Reluctantly, Arthur sat back against the cool earth, letting his back rest against the rough boulder behind him. Charles exhaled, wanting so badly for more. He longed for the moments that he and Arthur could spend alone, and it felt like it was becoming increasingly more difficult to find the time to slip off together. He kept a mental catalogue of all his favorite memories they had shared in their time together, such as their impromptu ‘hunting trips’ that typically ended with them holed up in a hotel room a few towns away from camp. Each time, one of them - usually Charles - would slip in through a window, and they’d spend the better part of a day or two doing absolutely nothing besides enjoying each other’s company. It hadn’t yet been a year since he met Arthur, but he felt comfortable with him unlike anyone else; his bond with Arthur was particularly rare for the rugged lifestyle they lived. It wasn’t often he could put his full trust into anyone, as usually he had the creeping sensation that he needed to sleep with one eye open. Arthur made him feel different about the world, though - he dared to think that he made him feel safe. It was such a foolish thought, safety, but Arthur knew how to make him feel like a fool like no other.

Charles cared about the Van der Linde gang and most everyone in it; he had been quickly drawn to the maxim that loyalty was valued above everything. He had spent the better half of his life wandering alone, and Dutch had made him feel like he found a place where he finally belonged. However, he never anticipated the change he would find in less than a year’s time; he couldn’t deny that there were times he reckoned they’d be a lot better off if he’d taken Arthur up on one of his grandiose ideas of leaving their lives behind and heading out west together.

Beside him, he could hear Arthur mumbling - the sound tore him from his wandering thoughts, pulling him back to outside the camp. At the tail end of Arthur’s incoherent ramble, he could make out: “Ya know, things are bad, but they could be a lot worse.”

“Mhm” He mumbled - that was something he certainly could agree with. In his life, he’d been through hell, and while their current situation wasn’t a life of luxury in the slightest, it could be a hell of a lot worse. He had seen and lived hell of a lot worse, and he’d take sticking it out rough, barely scraping by, with the Van der Linde gang over any of it.

Arthur continued, sloshing his words about, but annunciating just enough so that Charles could make out the bulk of it, “When I w-was a boy, it was real bad,” He paused to hiccup, rubbing his chest for a moment, “I don’t ‘member much ‘a it. Forgot, I think. I know it weren’t too good, a lot ‘a yellin’ ‘n whatnot.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Charles offered; it was rare that Arthur gave him glimpses into his past. He knew better than to pry, so he never did, but with the information he had been able to piece together over time, he was curious. It was a shame that time had covered most of Arthur’s memories from his childhood; there was so much about him that fascinated him, so many stories that he wanted to hear. What Arthur hadn’t forgotten over time, he kept locked up tight. “I know you was real young when Dutch picked you up.”

“Yeah, just a boy… Some life we have now, but he saved me… Was always a father to me… I was runnin’ schemes ‘fore I even learned to read real good,” He laughed to himself, reflecting on some memory from his younger years that he neglected to share, “Still ain’t too good at either, I think.”

Charles frowned, “Dutch’s kept you all these years; you must be doin’ somethin’ right.”

“Or, somethin’ wrong,” Arthur gave him an empty smile, but there was something else in his expression that made Charles pity him. They hadn’t had many conversations about Arthur’s increasing sense of self-doubt and his concerns about Dutch, but Charles knew they were there, haunting him. He was beginning to see for himself that things weren’t turning out the way he figured they would; it was starting to feel like all of them were on borrowed time, waiting for something that was never going to come.

He shrugged, not wanting to damper the mood; Arthur had been in better spirits than he had seen him in a while, and he was keen on maintaining that positivity, even if it was fleeting. “Maybe. Guess it depends how you look at it.”

“S’pose… Wouldn’t ‘a met the people I know if I hadn’t been. I like the lot of ya, mostly. Wouldn’t ‘a met you, I reckon… Glad I did, though.”

Charles nodded; it was by the grace of  _ something _ that he’d crossed paths with Arthur. It felt like it was always meant to be that way, but he couldn’t help but fight the feeling he was making up for lost time. There was so much he always  _ wanted _ to say, but usually he settled for brevity. “Mhm, me too.”

There was a beat of silence as the quiet of the early morning began to settle around them. The sky was turning a lighter shade of blue, and the moon was creeping further away as the world began to prepare for sunrise in the hours to come. They were going to need to head back to camp soon; there was still a few hours of darkness left so that they could get some sleep before the new day began. There was a lot waiting for them upon their awakening; the camp still needed supplies and-

“I love you,” Arthur drawled from beside him, his head resting against the boulder. Charles expected there to be a soft smile stretched across his face, but he found Arthur’s expression to be serious - his eyes were dark and gentle, inviting him to forget about the things he had been worried about. Arthur leaned over and started pressing quick, hungry kisses against Charles’s mouth; he let his hand rest against the nape of Charles’s neck, holding a tight grip on him.

With a chuckle, Charles gently pushed him back, steadying him as he positioned his body back against the rock. “Settle down, cowboy,” He licked his bottom lip, taking in the soft sight of Arthur drunk and vulnerable beside him. It was ridiculous how  _ badly _ he longed for more; he wanted nothing more than to just have his way with Arthur right there, outside of camp. Instead, he grabbed his hand, holding it limply in his own grasp, for just a moment. “Love you, too.”

It was the first time they had said it out loud; they had shown each other in many more ways than one throughout the last few weeks but hearing the words and knowing that there was no other intention besides pure honesty was refreshing. When he wandered across the Van der Linde gang all those months ago, he never thought it would come to something like this. He had learned long ago to appreciate the little things in life, because nothing was promised to any of them, and he fully intended to enjoy every moment he had with Arthur, however long it was destined to last.

“Alright,” Charles sighed, lifting himself up from the cool ground and extending a hand toward Arthur, who stared at him, almost dumbfounded. “Best we head back to camp; you could use some rest.”

Arthur accepted his grasp, and Charles pulled his limp body upward, placing a steady hand on his chest to keep him from toppling over. Charles chuckled, rolling his eyes as he snaked an arm around Arthur’s waist and started to guide him down the path toward camp. The campfire had been put out, meaning everyone had probably wandered off to get some sleep before the sun came up. Arthur was mumbling drunken nonsense beside him, and Charles shushed him as he moved his body in the right direction toward his bedspace. The last thing he wanted was to get Arthur riled up because someone had yelled at him to be quiet while they were trying to sleep.

Charles helped Arthur get in his bed, taking off his boots and coat and setting them on the ground beside him. Once he was properly situated and comfortable looking, Charles headed out of his space, making his way toward his own bedroll, before Arthur’s voice drew him back in.

“G’night,” He mumbled, adjusting himself against the cushion beneath his head. His eyes were closed by the time Charles had turned back around, and his breathing was soft and shallow.

Charles smiled, shaking his head, “Night, Arthur. See you in the morning,” He left Arthur’s space, finally heading back to his own. He was careful to keep quiet, trying his best not to wake anyone as he settled into his bedroll. The comfort of his bed was calling to him after a long day; his body was sore, and his mind was tired, but his heart was full. He wondered if Arthur would even remember what he had said when he woke up, or if it meant anything more than a drunken declaration of affection.

He decided to stop that kind of thinking; if there was one thing he had learned, it was not to question a good thing, especially considering how rare they were to find these days. And, Arthur Morgan was certainly the best thing he had found in quite some time.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway! I said that I would try to make a series about these two gay cowboys, so here's the next part. Chronologically, it comes after the [first one-shot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16721349) I posted, but if you haven't read that it's okay! However, I do have a next fic I'm planning on writing soon that's gonna kinda reference this one, which I'm super excited to write!
> 
> As always, thanks to [ Fireplanetz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireplanetz/pseuds/fireplanetz) for beta'ing this fic. She has some great Detroit: Become Human fics if you're interested in that! 
> 
> The title comes from "All I Want" by Walk the Moon!
> 
> These cowboys are super gay, and I love them so much! If you also love them and enjoyed this fic, please let me know!! The feedback that I got on my first one-shot was INCREDIBLE and so validating. I appreciated it so so much. Anyway, thanks for reading! :-)


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